Audley Harrison, who has combined the roles of fighter, promoter and self-publicist since winning Olympic gold in Sydney, has said he is concentrating solely on the boxing this week. With no need to sell the tickets for Saturday's Commonwealth heavyweight title showdown with Danny Williams at London's ExCel Arena - Frank Warren quickly disposed of 15,000 - it is strictly the business between the ropes which interests him this week.

Harrison, 34, said yesterday he was ready to deliver his answers in the ring after being branded, among other things, "a sissy who punches like a girl" by Williams, who certainly knows what a hard punch feels like after taking on and beating Mike Tyson and then being annihilated by Vitali Klitschko, the recently retired WBC heavyweight champion.

"I'm not worried what he says about me," said the unbeaten Harrison. "It's a boxing match, just like my other 19 and the 58 I had as an amateur. It's my strength against his strength and my weakness against his weaknesses."

The jibes from the Williams camp have clearly been filed in the same drawer as all the invective from the critics who branded him "Fraudley", doubting his stamina, his resolve and the quality of his opponents so far. Harrison prefers to call on the testimony of such legendary names as Lennox Lewis, George Foreman and Sugar Ray Leonard, who have all supported him since he struck gold in Sydney.

"People try and put down the gold medal like it means nothing, claiming it was in a bad year," he said. "But the critics don't bother me. When I start talking facts people don't like to hear it, but what has Danny Williams done?"

Williams did crack the shell that remained of Tyson but Harrison points out that he lost when he stepped up to challenge Klitschko, Sinan Samil Sam for the European title and even Julius Francis in his first British title challenge.

Jim McDonnell, trainer of the Brixton-born 32-year-old Williams, struck a pre-emptive blow this week when he rang the British Boxing Board of Control to urge that the referee Ian John-Lewis prevents Harrison from "holding and wrestling" on Saturday night. Harrison retaliated by accusing the former British champion of "hitting low in a number of his fights".

"Hopefully the referee will keep hold of it because I want the victory to be sweet," Harrison said. "But whatever it takes to win I'll do. I'm fighting Danny Williams because he's the name I need on my record after his fights with Tyson and Klitschko. Victory will basically put me two fights away from the world title."